Toaster



Nov. 3, 1936. s, F. REBQRA 2,059,911

TOASTER "umm Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,059,911 v 'roas'rna Stephen F. Rebol-a, Chicago, lll. Application :une 5, 193s, serai No. zsms s claims. (o1. 21a- 19) with extreme facility, the device comprising es v sentially two main units which can be assem` bled with the least expenditure of time and labor. Y Another 'important feature of my invention resides in a construction which permits the utilization to .the utmost degree of the heat given oiiby the heating units, said heat being applied to the bread in a uniform and well distributed manner whereby uniformly toasted bread may be obtained in a minimumoi time.

Other objects and advantages of my invention .will be apparent from the accompanying drawing and following detail description. l

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical cross sec tional view taken through my toaster.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-'-2 of Fig. 1, parts being shown in plan.

' Referring in ddetail to the drawing, I indicates a metal shell which comprises a series of continuously joined side walls 2, 3,' 4, and 5. As illustrated, the walls' 2, 3, 4, and 6 define a Irus. tro-pyramid, the joining corners or said walls being angled or mitred to form, in horizontal cross section, a polygon, partaking, because of the relative dimensions of the walls 2, 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the mtred wa1ls`6, 1. 8, and 9,

or the characteristics of a square. It is to be understood, o! course, that it desired, the shell may be constructed with ya square cross section having right-angled corners or said'corners may be rounded. Further, if desired, walls I, 2, 3, and 4 may be perpendicular instead of inclined. The lower edges of the shell .walls may be flanged outwardly, as shown at I0 in Fig. 1, whereby said shell may be secured to a wood, hard rubber, Bakelite or similar type base II which conforms with the cross-sectional shape of the shell I. 'I'he upper edges of the walls may be turned inwardly and downwardly, as shown at I2 and I3 in Fig. l, whereby a square central aperture is provided at the top of the shell.

"A lug I4 is secured bywelding or brazing tol the inner face of each of the walls 2, 3, l, and e, I.

said lugs beingapertured to receive screws I5 whereby a base plate I6 may be secured within said shell. A s wilLbe hereinafter more fully described, base plate I6 carries the electric heating 5 elements, insulators, etc., which comprises a complementary unit designated generally at I 1, to said vshell with which it may be assembled, or disassembled merely by manipulating screws I5.

As has been hereinbeiore described, plate I5 1u comprises the base for the unit I'I. A series oi pairs of lugs I8 and I 8 may be struck up from plate I6, said lugs being adapted to support the insulators upon which the electric heating elements are mounted. Each o! the lugs I9 may be 15 apertured to receive a screw 20. An insulating unit 2| constructed of porcelain, asbestos, mica or other electric insulating material which can withstand heat, may be secured to lugs I 9 by means of screws 2li. The insulating unit 2| may be constructed as a unit, that is, the walls thereof may be integrally joined to denne a parallelepiped oi' square cross section, in which case the lower wall oi each side is secured to each lug I9,

or each lug may support an individual panel (not 25 shown), which may be arranged in the form o1'l a square.

An insulating panel 22 may be secured to each lug I3 by means of a screw 20 or the like, said panels being constructed of the same material comprising insulating unit 2|. The panels 22 are arranged in the form of a square which circumscribes unit 2I and, it desired, said panels may be integrally joined (not shown) at their lateral edges similar to unit 2|5 ,i 35 Ihe upper edges of each oi.' the panels 22 may terminate in a iiange 23 which may extend in both directions from the plane of the panel. The upper edges of said ilanges may be' tapered, as shown at 2l and 2 5 in Fig. l, whereby each panel 40 22 may be automatically spaced from the walls of the shell and maintained in desired spaced relationship with respect to the sides of unit 2|, the provision of the tapers 24 and 25 permitting quick 45 ,centering of the panels during assembly.

The upper edges of the walls comprising the insulating unit 2I may be joined together by means of plate 26, which may have downwardly extending peripheral flanges 21. Flanges 21 may be apertured to receive screws 28 by which means said anges may be secured to the walls or panels comprising the unit 2i. A cap 28 may be mounted upon plate 26, said cap extending beyond the edges of said plate and having overhanging g5 of bolts 32 which may extend downwardly through said plate and serve to secure brackets Il to the lower face of said plate. Brackets 3l are substantially bayonet-shaped and are so disposed as to form a support or reel upon which the two conductor electric cord may be wound when the device is packed or being shipped or when the same is not being utilized.`

A plurality ofcables 34 carrying a plurality of ,conductors 35 may connect into junction box II, conductors 35 being, in turn, connected to binding posts 20' mounted upon unit 2l and panels 22. Conventional electric resistance heating elements 36 may be carried on the insulating unit 2I and panels 22 and the terminals of said eley ments may be appropriately connected -to the binding posts 2l.

It is to be understood that the heating elements I6 may be connected in series, in parallel or in series-parallel depending upon their resistance, the voltage used and the wattage desired. In addition suitable switches (not shown) may be interposed in the circuits whereby one or more pair of elements may be selectivelyV energized. I'he electric circuits utilizable in my invention are conventional and constitute no part of my invention per se.

To assemble my device, it will be apparent that it is merely necessary to insert unit II within shell I andfasten the same therein by means of but fourfscrews I5. When the toaster is so assembled, flanges I3 on the walls 2, 2, l, and l denne a square, and similarly ilanges lll on cap 2l also form a square, the latter flanges being spaced from. the former whereby a continuous square slot is dened. This continuous slot provides an entrance into a toasting space for four slices of bread, which space is defined on each side by the heating elements 2i.

To conveniently insert and remove the bread from the toasting. space and also to maintain the bread when in the toasting space a proper distance from each set of heating elements,- a frame or basket 31 is provided. The basketA 21 comprises a continuous, square contoured trough 38 carried at the lower end of a wire frame 39.. The wire frame 39 comprises two similar elements, each of which is bent so as to ilt in opposite toast- .ing spaces, the elements traversing,. when the basket is in operative position, the top of cap 29. The two elements cross each other intermediate their length and are joined together at their juncture points by soldering, brazing or the like. The frame elements are adapted to carry the trough 38 at their lower bent portions, that is, those portions which areadapted to be inserted in the toasting space. To form a unitary structure of the basket, portions of the trough 38 are struck downwardly, as shown best at 4B in Fig. 2, the bent frame elements being positioned immediately beneath the apertures thus formed and the downwardly struck lugs being wrapped around or embracing the frame wire.

The combination of basket 31 together with the `inwardly extending terminations ofv the upper remaining instrumentalities of my device constitutes one of the important features of my invention. It will be seen that the heating elements which define each toasting compartment are spaced a predetermined distance from each other and this distance is greater than the distance between the ilanges I3 and 3l. It will also be seen that the flanges on the cap 29 or the denning edges opsaid cap guide or determine the lateral movement of the basket. Consequently, when bread is carried by the troughs 28, the wire frames carrying said troughs virtually form continuations of flanges I3 and 30 and properly space the slices of bread from the heating elements 36. In addition, the provision of the spaced flanges I3 and 30 guide the frame wires and prevent them from short circuiting the heating elements. In electric toasters heretofore devised, guide wires for preventing the bread from contacting the heating elements are built in the toaster itself andl form fixed portions of-the heating element supports. 'I'his introduces serious and expensive manufacturing difllculties which are obviated by my invention.

A knob 4I may be secured to the cross-portion of basket 31, said knob being constructed of a material having low heat conducting properties, such as a compressed asbestos composition or the like. By this means the basket carrying the bread slices may be inserted or removed from the toaster conveniently. Handles I2 may be secured to opposite side walls 2 and l by means of bolts 43 or the like, whereby the toaster as a whole may be conveniently moved from place to place. Handles 4 2 may be constructed of a material similar to knob I I.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric bread toaster comprising in combination, a shell having laterally joined side walls,

edges of said walls defining a substantially square opening at the top of said shell, a heating unit removably positioned within said shell, said heating unit comprising a plate, a plurality of panels of insulating material carried by said plate. elecu tric heating elements carriedA by said insulating panels, said panels defining a toasting space within said shell in which a plurality of slices of bread may be simultaneously toasted, the entrance to said space being defined by said inwardly extend- 5' ing terminations of the walls of the shell.

2. An electric bread toaster comprising in combination, a shell having laterally joined side welll. inwardly extending terminations of the upper edges of said side. walls deilning a substantially l square opening at the top of said shell, a plate horizontally mounted in the lower portion of slid shell, insulating panels carried by said plate. said panels being disposed in substantially the form of a square which projects within the square openl ing at the top of the shell, another series of insulating panels carried by said plate and spaced outwardly from said rst mentioned panels, said inner and outer panels defining a plurality of compartments at substantially rght-angles tol each other, electric heating elements mounted upon the opposed faces of said inner and outer panels, and means for introducing and removing a plurality of slices of bread from said compart ments. 1 3. An electric bread toaster comprising in combination, a shell having laterally joined side walls, inwardly extending terminations of the upper edges of said side walls defining a. substantially square opening at the top oi said shell, a plate a plurality of slices of bread from said comparthorizontally mounted in the lower portion of said shell, insulating panels carried by said plate, said panels being disposed insubstantially the form of a square which projects within the square opening at the top of the shell, another series of insulatingpanels carried by said plate and spaced outwardly from said rst mentioned panels,vsaid `inner and .outer panels defining a plurality of compartments at substantially right-angles' to each other, electric heating elements mounted upon the opposed faces of said inner and outer panels, and means for introducing and removing a plurality of slices of bread from said compartments, said means comprising a wire frame so bent as to project into each of said compartments, and means carried by said projecting bent portions for holding a plurality of slices'of bread in edgewise position. Y

4. An electric bread toaster comprising in combination, a shell having laterally joined sidewalls, inwardly extending terminations of the upper edges of said side walls deilning a substantially square opening at the top of said shell, a plate horizontally mounted in the lower portion of said shell, insulating panels carried by said plate, said panels being disposed in substantially the form of a square which projects within the square opening at the top of the shell, another series of insulating panels carried by said plate and spaced outwardly from said first mentioned panels, said inner and outer panels dening a plurality of compartments at substantially right-angles to each other, electric heating elements mounted upon the opposed faces of 'said inner and outer panels, and means for introducing and removing ments, said means comprising a wire frame so bent as to project intoeach of said compartments, means carried by said projecting bent portions for holding a plurality of slices of bread -in edgewise position, and means for maintaining bination, a shell having laterally joined side walls, inwardly extending terminations of the upper edges of said side walls defi! 'ng a substantially square opening at the top of said shell, a plate horizontally mounted nin the lower portion of said shell, insulating-panels carried by said plate, said panels being disposed in substantially the form of a square which projects within the square opening at the top of the shell, another series of insulating panels carried by said plate and spaced outwardly from said first mentioned panels, said inner and outer panels defining a plurality of compartments at substantially right-angles to eachother, electric heating elements mountedl upon the opposed faces of said inner andy outer panels, and means for introducing and removing a plurality of slices of bread from said compartments, said means comprising a wire frame so bent'as to project into each of saidI compartments, means carried by said projecting bent portions for holding a plurality of slices of bread in` edgewise position, and means for maintaining saidv projecting bent portions of the wire frame and the bread carried thereby in predetermined spaced relationship with respect to said inner and outer heating elements, said means comprising a cap carried at the top of said inner insulators the edges of which define a square spaced predetermined distances in a vertical plane from the heating elements upon said inner insulating panels.'

6. An electric toaster of the oven type compris'- ing in combination, a shell having laterally joined side Walls, inwardly extending terminations of the upper edges of said walls defining a substantially square opening, a heating unit comprising a plate, a plurality of'l spaced insulating panels carried by said plate, said insulating -panelsdefining four heating compartments disposed in the Y form of a square, electric heating elements car- .ried on opposed faces of said panels, a cap carried upon said panels within the inwardly extending terminations of the side walls and spaced therefrom to define slot entrances to said heating l compartments, and means forremovably mounting said heating unit within said shells.

STEPHEN F. REBORA. 

